


Simple business

by WoodiestComic



Series: Demons and dealings [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dark Tony Stark, Demon Deals, Demon Tony, Demon Tony Stark, Demons, Desperation, Evil Tony Stark, Gen, Manipulative Tony Stark, Natasha is desperate, Non-human Tony Stark, Other, creature Tony Stark, fallen angel Tony Stark, halloween fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 19:04:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12394272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WoodiestComic/pseuds/WoodiestComic
Summary: Natasha is about to give up on ever getting Clint back, when a certain businessman appears in her room with an offer she simply can't refuse. The widow is willing to do anything to get her archer back, but is the price too high?Set duing the Avengers movie right after Natasha interrogated Loki. This is a Demon!Tony AU.





	Simple business

**Author's Note:**

> So before we jump into this, I just want to tank you for clicking into my story. I'm not gonna keep you for long so don't worry. I have two requests. 1. Constructive critisism is very welcome. If you see a mistake, kindly point it out to me or if there was something you did not understand, so I can fix it. 2. Let me know if this is something you want to see continued, and if so, please feel free to come with ideas or theories, as I love reading what people can come up with. 
> 
> That's all. I hope you enjoy the story.

Natasha sat down on the small cot she called a bed. It had been an eternally long week, and exhaustion was starting to catch up to her. Bones and muscles ached painfully with every jerky movement, joints popping when she stretched her heavy limbs. The harsh treatment her body had gone through was nothing compared to her mind.

Clint…

That bastard god had taken him. Taken one of the few things in life Natasha was willing to sacrifice anything to protect. She was tempted to laugh at the irony, taking their job into consideration, but years of hiding away her emotions had rendered her face nothing but a blank canvas ready to be filled with another fictional character for her to portray. Even to herself, it was difficult breaking through all those layers of blood and training. Someone had once asked if even she knew who she really was…

The widow shook her head, ridding herself of those dark thoughts. She had to concentrate. Had to find a way to get him back. No doubt he would want to kick Loki’s sorry ass himself once he was back to normal. The talk she’d had with said god has been next to useless. She’d learned that Loki wanted to unleash the hulk, and that he would make Clint kill her (which was neither surprising nor original). So now she sat there, studying some muck under her fingernails while her mind reeled for a solution. If she wanted to help him, she had to find him. And to find him, she needed Loki to tell her more. That was an unlikely option. He had been one of the hardest people to read, and it was merely dumb luck that she had managed to trick him. Not a likely mistake he would make again. Leaving her with nothing. No clues, no ideas. Just nothing…

A deep, childish part, the part of her that was still just an orphan girl missing her parents, wanted to cry at how hopeless the situation really was. The bastard god had played them right into his hands. Hell, he was still holding their strings up high, forcing them to play along his twisted games. There was nothing more Natasha wanted than to drive a blade through the green-clad man’s throat.

Well… maybe one thing.

She wanted Clint back. _Needed_ him back. After everything he’d done for her, all the debts she owed him _couldn’t_ be left unpaid and… she missed him. A deep, aching part of her chest throbbing painfully at the thought of him gone forever.

The outside world had all but disappeared, deep in thought as she was.

“Well, this is an interesting sight” said an all-too familiar voice. Natasha almost, _almost_ jumped at the sudden presence in her room. Looking up, she saw him, leaning lazily against her wall looking at her with a raised eyebrow. The perfectly trimmed goatee framed his smirk, where sharp teeth sparked in the dim light of her quarters.

Natasha glared at him, shoulders tensing as her body instantly went into defensive mode.

“What do _you_ want?” She all but hissed at him.

The billionaire’s smirk dropped, but the damned mischievous spark in his eyes only strengthened as he put a hand over his glowing chest in a wounded manner, as though Natasha’s words had struck him. She wished they had…

“You wound me. Here I show up to check up on a dear _friend_ , and I’m met with such hostility?” He gasped. Then the smirk was back. His hand dropped to rest in the pocket of his well-tailored suit.

“What, you expect warm hugs and niceties? I don’t have time for your stupid games, so you better have a good reason to be here before I kick you off the ship” She growled in response. The man gave her a curious look, shaking his head while a humourless chuckle escaped his lips.

“Can’t a good ‘ol guy like myself check up on the younger generations now? I heard a lot of ruckus about you guys having caught a _god_ . Thought I’d come take a look when I noticed you were sadder than usual. Something the matter _, dear_?”

A dry laugh made it past her lips before she could stop it. Curse the billionaire and his ways to get under her skin by just being near her.

“Thought scum like you couldn’t enter a building without being invited first” Natasha pointed out, voice sharp like a razor’s edge. On any other being, this voice would have been most effective. As she’d learned however, it was practically useless against the creature that stood before her. Scratch that. The creature that _sat_ next to her grinning like a shark that had come across a bleeding seal.

“You know me, Natalia-” Natasha flinched at the way her name rolled off his slick tongue. “- I have my ways to get around rules. This isn’t a building, it’s a ship. I can come and go as I please”

“What do you want, _Stark_?” She spat the name like a curse, glaring daggers at his soulless frame. The man leaned back in her bed, resting his head against the wall while his gaze was focused on the ceiling rather than the Widow. All in all, he looked bored. An act she knew he created in an attempt to make her take the bait. An act she found sorely affective, which only caused her to grind her teeth. How did he do it?

The creature disguised as a man glanced around the room, eyes resting briefly on the empty bed in the other end of the corner. His lips jerked, trying to fight back a grin.

“What happened to your archer?” he asked finally, meeting Natasha’s eyes for the first time since his arrival. Natasha felt ice creep along her spine just by looking into those soulless, devoid eyes of his. God, she hated this creature. Maybe even more than Loki, because of their personal experience.

“No doubt you already know” She forced out, ripping her gaze away to study her fingernails again, too aware of his presence to focus on anything else.

“Hmm…” Stark hummed. “True. Still, it doesn’t hurt to ask. I’m just trying to make conversation”

She turned, hair whipping her face, to glare at him again. “No. You’re trying to get me riled up and trick me, and I’m telling you now, it’s not going to work”

He laughed, a sound so hollow it rattled the walls. “Oh, Natalia. You could always read me like an open book. You see, that’s what I like about you so much. You’re not afraid to let people know what you mean”

Now it was Natasha’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

“I hardly think _you_ count as people” She muttered. Stark laughed, his chest rumbling. Natasha instantly regretted what she said, gritting her teeth at the other’s mirth.

“Does that mean I get a special case of Black Widow honesty?” He asked, eyes boring into her. It felt like he was leaving scorch marks on her very soul. She wanted to protest, to say something really hurtful. Instead, she shrugged. Words had always been her greatest weapon, and they were all but useless on Stark. She had learned that the hard way.

“So the godling got your archer, and you got the godling. Any particular reason you haven’t been able to get him back yet, given your particular set of skills?” Stark continued nonchalantly. A warm hand, too warm, placed on her shoulder, an almost affectionate action. However, Natasha had run into the same thing before. He was like a spider trying to lull her into his web.

And it was working. Damn him.

“I couldn’t get the information out of him. He doesn’t know where Barton is, apparently” she mumbled, shaking the god forsaken hand off of her. Stark hummed, looking back at the ceiling thoughtfully.

“That’s a shame… I’ll tell him you said hi, shall I?” With those words, he got up and headed towards the door. Natasha’s brain didn’t even have time to process the information before she jumped after him, grabbing his arm in a tight and desperate hold, as though he would turn to mist if she didn’t stop him.

“Wait” The word, desperate and (she hated the mere thought of it) _scared_ , shot from her lips. Stark turned his head, looking intently at her over his shoulder. He was eyeing the hand around his arm with a look of particular distaste, but Natasha didn’t let go. Her mind was reeling, cogwheels turning faster than ever before. Did he know where Clint was, or was it another trap? She had to know...

“You know where he is?”

A playful smirk crawled over the other’s lips, his eyes darkening. “Who?”

It took all mental strength she had not to smack him across the face. “Clint. Do you know where he is” She said, the hand not squeezing his arm curled into a hard fist. Stark stole a glance at it, brows scrunching together.

Then a look of fake realization came over his features, and a hand came up to his face in an obvious gesture. “Oh _him_. Right. I had completely forgotten you humans actually give a damn…”  A sigh escaped him before he continued. “Yeah, I know where he is. I know where he’s been, I know where he’s going and I know where he’ll end up”

“Tell me” Natasha demanded, her grip around his arm tightening.

“There is no need for violence, Natalia.” He said, grabbing her arm and peeling it off like a bandaid.

“Tell me where he is” She demanded again, looking up at him desperately. He knew where Clint was, he _knew_.

“Now why would I go ahead and do that? I’d hate the spoil the godling’s fun. I gotta say, despite the whole ‘emo teenager with an identity crisis’ thing, the kid’s kinda grown on me. Think it’s the daddy issues”

“Please-” _damn him to hell_ for making her sound so frail and desperate. If her superiors had seen her now, she would be sacked on the spot. Stark stepped closer, suddenly, leaning over her in a manner that made him seem a lot taller than what he actually was. There was something predatory in those dark, almost inky black eyes staring into hers. Dark veins spread out from the eye sockets in a way that made him look almost skeletal and cracked. The room around them seemed to darken, shadows merging from behind his back, covering every corner of the room.

“Please _what?_ ” he said, voice so dark and husky he barely sounded like the same man anymore. Natasha stared up at him, feeling fear seep into her from every pore. She had never seen him like this before, never seen how truly _demonic_ he could be. Her body automatically took a step back. There was something about his eyes. Like a predator playing with its prey. The trap was so plainly laid, yet Natasha walked straight into it. She didn’t have a choice. She _had_ to get Clint back.

“Get him back…” Her voice was but a whisper, barely audible and filled to the brim with desperation and sorrow over what she had lost. Stark gave her a look she couldn’t quite identify, but surely meant nothing good, before he leaned back. The shadows disappeared and his face was back to it’s normal, warm self.

“Natalia…” He said, as if scolding a naughty child. “You know I can’t do that. Well, I _can_ , but I won’t. It’s against the rules. No favours. So sorry for your loss”

“Then I’ll pay you” This seemed to catch his interest. Or at least that’s what he let on. He seemed to contemplate her for a second, looking at her like one would a fruit in the supermarket.

“With what?” He asked finally. It was a leading question, she knew. There was, after all, only one thing aside from money that he bargained with.

“My soul”

To her great surprise, he burst out laughing. The whole hellicarrier seemed to shake with an unseen force as he bent over his knees, trying to catch his breath. Natasha stood, stiff as a board, in stunned silence. She didn’t know how to react. Why was he _laughing?_

“I kinda want to make a ginger joke, but I fear you would misinterpret my meaning” He choked out between laughter. His face had taken on a light shade of pink, quickly deepening. The Widow glared at him, still unsure as to how to react. Was this all a joke to him? Stupid question, of course it was. She wanted to call him out on it, but couldn’t find the right words to even start.

“Ooohhh, Okay. Calming down now” He hiccupped, chest still rumbling. Shaking his head, he continued. “Alright. There we go. Calm and collected. Sorry about that. I couldn’t resist. The fact that you think I actually want _your_ soul is just too hilarious to be taken seriously”

Those words stung more than expected. Any other sensible person would be overjoyed at the face, while Natasha felt them like a punch to her guts. She had never really given much thought to souls and all that crap, at least before she met Stark. A painful lump was forming in her throat, throbbing achingly no matter how much she tried to swallow it down or hide it. Mentally, she was slapping herself, telling herself to pull herself together. She was a professional, she was good at hiding her emotions. But in the presence of Stark, she had never felt more open, like he was dissecting her with his eyes alone.

Natasha swallowed thickly.

“Why not?” It was said with as much indifference as she could muster. Stark smiled, a feature too friendly on his face. He reached out, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. Natasha imagined that hand with sharp talons and shuddered.

“My _dear_ Natalia. You might have a pretty face, but your soul is _ugly_ ,” His grip on her shoulder tightened suddenly, just beyond the brink of pain. Natasha yelped, face twisting into a grimace trying and failing to hide the sudden jab. “Your petty excuse for a soul is as bad as some of the demons I’ve seen. I mean, _what did you do to it?_ Went bananas on it with a hacksaw? It’s torn and bent and more broken than I’ve ever seen in a mortal. Your soul is as gutted as the people you’ve killed over the years, I’m surprised it still works. Why would I offer my services for something so broken and pathetic?”

She blinked, confused by his words. A deep ache settled in her chest, but she didn’t know why it was there. Tears tickled the corners of her eyes, and she blinked to keep them at bay. What the hell was wrong with her? His words shouldn’t affect her like this, shouldn’t bother her. Desperately, she reached for the comforting apathy she was used to, finding nothing of it left. Her shoulders sagged in defeat.

He didn’t want her soul… It was the only thing she possessed that the vile creature might have wanted and he rejected it! Clint was lost… Clint was going to die, because her soul was too _ugly_ for this abomination of nature. What would she do now? The archer was the reason she’d found redemption, the reason she was _alive_.

“What’s the point of coming here, if not for a deal?”

“Maybe I just enjoy your desperation…” He paused. “You really love him, don’t you?” Stark sounded almost empathetic, his face softer than it had been earlier. Natasha wanted to sneer at him, tell him he was wrong, but… was he? Was he wrong, or had she just never known what love was? enough for her not to recognize the signs…

“There is one alternative. I could be willing to make a deal” Needless to say, he knew exactly how to get her full attention. Her head snapped up, eyes ablaze with hope she couldn’t hide. Staring into the face of a trap, yet so ready to jump into it. Stark continued:

“I will get your boyfriend back, and in return, I get your soul _and_ after the godling’s temper tantrum is through, you will be working for me for two months. No questions asked, no arguments. I tell you to do something, you do it. Once two months are up, you’re free to do whatever you want” As he spoke, an old-looking piece of parchment paper appeared, hovering in the air next to him while words wrote themselves across the crisp surface.

“Do we have a deal?” Stark asked, grabbing the parchment out of the air and placing it in front of Natasha, followed by a small dagger. Her fingers shook as she accepted the sharp object, unsure of what to do with it.

Natasha looked down at the contract, nervous to even touch it. She read it over and over, looking for any sort of loophole she could use to her advantage.

**_Contract regarding services_ **

_This is a binding contract, enforcing both parties’ full cooperation without deceit._

_The undersigned has exchanged rights of services for two months, no questions asked and the eternal rights of their soul. As traditions say, the undersigned will be given a maximum of ten years before the soul will become the property of the seller, to do with as they please._

_In return, the seller shall recover the undersigned’s loved one: Clinton Francis Barton, and diminish any and all enthrallment or spells the trickster god Loki might have on him by any means necessary._

_Once signed, both parties are bound to their word until the terms of the contract has been met. If the seller does not complete the given part of agreement, they shall not receive any payment. If the undersigned does not complete their part of the agreement, the soul of Clinton Francis Barton will be handed over to the seller as recompense._

_Signature: _______________________

Stark was staring at her intently, waiting for her to make a decision. She didn’t have to look up to know he was grinning, his fingers tapping aimlessly against his hip. He was on top of this game, and they both knew it. Whether she signed or not, she was the loser and he was the winner. The thought tasted like bile.

Thoughts swirled around her head, some warning her against it, others pushing her towards it, telling her it was the only way to get Clint back. Stark could get him, and save him. All the while she couldn’t seem to grasp any of them. Stark seemed to grow bored of waiting. He leaned over her shoulder -when did he get behind her?- breathing cold wind down her neck.

“We haven’t got all day, Natalia. This is a once in a lifetime offer, I suggest you take it while your archer is still alive. Terrible things are about to happen and it is so easy to be caught in the crossfire” His words were slick, like drops of venom poured right into her brain. Stark was grinning, sharp teeth poking through his lips. With a simple motion, he imitated a slice over his thumb, leaning even closer to her ear.

“One small cut, and you’ll have him back. Safe and sound. Just a few drops and the deal is sealed. He’ll be saved, free from the hold Loki has on him. Is that not worth it?”

Natasha felt a sharp sting, the only warning she got before blood welled up from her thumb, dripping down on the contract like ink. She hadn’t even noticed, so preoccupied by the demon’s words and her own thoughts, that she had sliced her thumb. The cut itself wasn’t deep, nor that painful. But when she watched as the drops of her blood faded into the paper like a sponge, she felt a twist of regret in her stomach. She wanted to throw up when the few drops of blood disappeared completely, only to reappear in the perfect illustration of her handwriting, it was like she’d written her name herself.

**_Natalia Alanovna Romanova_.**

“A true pleasure, doing business with you” Stark spoke, snapping the contract and rolling it up tightly before hiding it possessively in the inner pocket of his jacket.

“What now?”

He smiled at her, sitting down on her cot once again, twiddling his thumbs. Natasha blinked.

“Hey, I signed the contract. Go get him, now!” Stark looked up at her, eyes sparking with mischief and mirth. The corners of his mouth were sharp, stretched in ways that shouldn’t be humanly possible.

“The contract never mentioned _when_ I had to get him.” She drew a sharp breath, scolding herself for her stupidity. Of course the demon would pick out the details in the contract, what else could she expect?

“Why would I waste my time and energy travelling to him, when he’ll be here in less than two minutes?”


End file.
